Gameday Thread April 18

[RobDogBucky]

Well, it's a slow day around the office. Some fellow employees went to last night's game and are still thawing out, the ones that showed up today that is.

The game has started out with Haren throwing too many pitches just to get 3 outs, but no one scored and they left Cabrera stranded on 2nd after his double.

A's had a ground out, a strike out (Swish) and a line out by Chavez to end their first.

Hope we can get to Lackey today. It seems almost as cold and certainly as windy as last night here in downtown Oakland.

Pitch count: Lackey 12, Haren 20 (not too promising)

End of 1st, 0-0.


Later,
RDB

[RobDogBucky]

2nd Inning:

Haren only took 14 pitches to induce 3 ground outs. That's the Haren we know and love.

Walker singles with one out after Piazza flies out. C'mon Bobby, keep swinging with purpose!

Friggin Gameday omits whatever Crosby did to make an out on like one pitch. Buck up with 2 out, and grounds out to Lackey. At least he made him throw some pitches. Both teams have 1 hit and have left 1 on base.

What good is all the bell/whistle on enhanced Gameday and their excessive info on pitches thrown, yet they completely omit one player's at bat?

After 2, 0-0.

Later,
RDB

[GreenMachine]

Go A's!

[RobDogBucky]

Howdy Green;

Welcome to my site!

RDB

(Am eating and typing furiously, trying to keep this thread informative and yet not loose any continuity, or my job)

[RobDogBucky]

Yes! Haren finally struck out Matthews, but it took like 10 pitches. Haren's pitch count = 50, c'mon Danny, get some easier outs. Ah, yes, Matthews, the suspected juicer.

As Rickey once said when;
"...A reporter asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 50 percent of Major League players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was, “Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 percent right there.”

C'mon A's, let's get some runs on the board!

Kendall singles to start the A's third, Marco is playing 2nd today is up now. Will Jason steal on The Lackey? The Lackey is worried, as he is throwing over there to keep Kendall close. From the looks of it, The Lackey almost got Scooter with his last pitch. Another throw over to 1st.

Woo Hoo! Marco singles, 1st and 3rd, no outs. Let's Go A's!

Stewart up, followed by Swish and Chavez. Full count on Stewart now. He walked Stewart!

Bags juiced, Swish to the dish, no outs. Yes! Let's have a big inning and chase The Lackey.

Swish hit into a FC, run scored, Stewart out at 2nd. 1-0 A's, 2 on, Chavez is up. Lackey's two pitches to Swisher were 79 MPH changeups. Chavez singles a 93 MPH fastball and another run scores, 2-0 A's, 1 out, 2 still on and Piazza coming up. Go A's!

Piazza grounds into inning-ending DP. A's lead after 3, 2-0.

Let's Go A's!

[RobDogBucky]

After surrendering another double, this one to Izturis, Haren gets out of it by getting Kotchman to fly out to left. Pitch counts are closer together now.

Let's keep adding to the tally, we cannot let The Lackey off the hook. We have to score in more than one inning a game. My Dog, we will start looking like those old Dodger teams that won a lot but only scored like 2 runs per game.

Walker, Crosby and Buck to come up to start the A's 4th. Let's go A's!

Walker sends Matthews to the warning track after a 7-pitch at-bat. Way to make him work, Todd. Crosby up now......strikes out swinging. C'mon, Travis, make him pitch to ya. Buck grounds out meekly to 2nd base.

After 4 complete, A's 2, A-holes 0.

Let's Go A's!

[bedir than average]

Getting two on The Lackey early is an excellent indicator of future results.

Maybe I shouldn't work today and instead just watch AL West baseball, we got great pitchers going for each club.

[GreenMachine]

The '06 Chicago White Sox were known as the "Hitless Wonders" but they won the pennant (maybe even the World Series, but I think the Cubs (!) beat 'em out).

Perhaps that little factoid could inspire our lads...

[RobDogBucky]

Haren gets Hillenbrand to pop out to SS for out #1 in the 5th. Pitch counts are almost equal now. Aybar is up, tries to bunt on first pitch, flies out to left after 6 pitches. Jose Molina is up, finally grounds out to short after 7 pitches. Half the game over and it has only taken like an hour and ten minutes.

Yup, this is one of those rare days in the season when the A's and the Gnats are playing in town the same day. We don't know how good we have it here.

The early century Chicago teams were great weren't they? I think the A's are slowly waking up with the lumber and it is entirely too early to say they need another bat, or they need to send someone down. Hell, let's all let this weather warm up across the country, play real games for a statistically meaningful period and then see where we are at the first of May. I think these A's will still be leading the league in pitching, and will be well on their way to righting the offensive ship.

Kendall makes first out in 5th, Scutaro to the plate. Grounds out to short, yikes, 5 pitches and 2 outs.

C'mon guys, make The Lackey work for it! Stewart doubles to the wall in left center, Swish up with Stewart on, 2 outs. C'mon Swish, look at a couple pitches. 3-2 to Swish, that's it. Yes! Swisher draws the walk, 2 on, 2 out, Chavez to the plate. CHAVVY singles in Stewart. Yes! 1st and 3rd, 2 out, Piazza up. 3-0 A's! Piazza is today's rally killer, grounds out to end the inning.

Two our rally puts A's up, 3-0 after 5.

Go A's!

[RobDogBucky]

Willits bunts to get on and then Matthews strikes out, 1 on, 1 out, Cabrera up to start the 6th. He singles, it is 1st and 3rd, 1 out, Izturis up to bat. Haren at 91 pitches. I hope Geren has someone up. Would hate to see Danny let his first win slip away here. Izturis grounds into FC, with Haren throwing out the runner at home. Yes! 2 out, 2 on, 3-0 still. Anderson makes the third out by popping up, Haren gets out of the jam.

Yes!

While we wait for the A's to come up in the 6th, how bout that clean bill of health they gave to Harden after the MRI? Great news. Did anyone else notice that Larry Davis has lost about 100 lbs.? He looked great when introduced with everyone else on opening night, my Dog, I could hardly believe it was him!

Crosby up, Lackey with 88 pitches now. Gameday messes up again, as Walker is on 1st with no way shown for how he did it! Cros has a chance to move him over with no outs. Crosby strikes out, Buck up, and now it is shown that Walker hit a soft single to right. C'mon Travis, I want to see your first MLB homer! Struck out instead. 2 outs, 1 on, Kendall up to hit. (Just to show how misleading just numbers can be, would anyone say that Buck has not been impressive, yet he has no RBI and no HR). Okay, so Kendall makes the third out. Inning over. Walker's single wasted. Back to form. At least the A's have scored in 2 innings so far!

Let's Go A's!

[RobDogBucky]

To the 7th, Kotchman makes the first out, Hillenbrand makes the second out, and Haren has thrown 105 pitches. Aybar up, and he complies by making the third out on a fly to left. Half way through the 7th, A's 3, A-holes 0.

Time to stretch:

TAKE ME OUT THE BALL GAME, TAKE ME OUT TO THE CROWD,
BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKER JACK,
I DON'T CARE IF I EVER GET BACK,
AND IT'S ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE AAAAAAAA'S,
IF THEY DON'T WIN IT'S A SHAME,
FOR IT'S ONE, TWO, THREE STRIKES YOU'RE OUT,
AT THE OLD BALL GAME!

Marco lines out for out #1 in the 7th. Stewart singles to right, Swisher up, 1 out, 1 on. C'mon Swish, make him pitch. Yikes that was quick, Swish GDP on first pitch. Oh, well, let's see who comes to the mound for Oaktown.

Go A's!

[RobDogBucky]

Duke on the hill for the home team, facing Molina he induces a ground out to short. Pitching to Willits, 1 out, no one on base. Struck him out on 4 pitches. Haren did well, a 4-hit shutout and I don't recall any walks with 109 pitches. Pretty damn good and the A's staff ERA continues to plummet. Can't go much lower, eh? Damn, Gameday did it again, they show Cabrera making the third out with Matthews on first! (belatedly cites a soft single by Matthews) End of 7 1/2, A's 3, A-holes 0.

Yes!

Justin Speier in for the A-holes, The Lackey is gone, having thrown 104 pitches. Way to make him work guys. Chavez and Piazza make 2 quick outs and Walker is up and he quickly flies out on the first pitch. After 8, A's 3, A-holes 0.

One more half inning to go and we sweep them in this short series in a very quick game.

Yes!

[RobDogBucky]

Street in to close it out.

Walker, Chavez and Stewart with 2 hits each today. Waking up all up and down the line I think.

Street strikes out Izturis and is up 0-2 to Anderson. Punches him out. Yes! One more out to go and it is on to Texas and Baltimore, then back for Seattle and Tampa Bay. Hopefully we will have warmer weather one of these days. With that upcoming schedule, it sure would be nice to put some distance between us and the others in our division. Kotchman makes the third out, it's over, A's win, 3-0. Only remaining question, what was today's attendance?

17,322, and it took only 2:09 to complete.

Yes!

Go A's!

On to Texas and Baltimore. Let's get a win streak going here guys, 3 straight and counting.

Later,
RDB

[GreenMachine]

Excellent job, RDB... A's with a winning record (8-7) for the first time all season.

[Eckersley]

Greenie, come back over to the Scout board where there are actually, you know,.... people.